The 17th edition of the Blue and Gold Hockey Sevens organized by Royal College in collaboration with the Royal College Hockey Club (RCHC) will take place on October 13 and 14 from 8.00 am at the Royal College main ground at Reid Avenue.
The tournament is a much-anticipated hockey extravaganza featuring the participation of both boys and girls schools from across the island providing young and energetic players coming from diverse backgrounds with the unique opportunity and exposure of displaying their skills and talents in an arena that has not only caught the limelight in the hockey fraternity of the nation but is also an eye-catching attraction on the schools’ sports calendar in Sri Lanka.
The first edition of the Blue and Gold Sevens took place in 1992 with the participation of only 16 boys schools. Despite the success of the tournament, its continuation hit a barrier due to funding limitations.
However, after a lapse of ten years, the tournament recommenced and brought back into action on a very grand scale with tremendous commitment by the office bearers of the Royal College Hockey Club and financial support from Singer Sri Lanka.
Since its recommencement, the tournament has witnessed outstanding progress and has become a trendsetter in improving, developing and evolving hockey in Sri Lanka. Back-to-back National Schools’ Champions St. Aloysius College Galle and the likes of Joseph Vaz College Wennappuwa, St. Thomas’ College Matale and Mount Lavinia along with the hosts Royal College will be in the fore front to win the title for this year in the boys’ category, while six-time champions Seethadevi College Kandy and Janadhipathi Balika Vidyalaya Nawala are expected to give their best in the girls category.
However no team can be ruled out from the odds of winning the prestigious title.
The hosts Royal College lead the tally in the boys’category with three championships under their belt followed by Nalanda College, Vijaya College Matale and Joseph Vaz College who have won the tournament twice each while Zahira College Matale, Wesley College,Vidyartha College-Kandy, St. Thomas’ College Matale, Kingswood College, Trinity College and Ananda College have won the tournament on a solitary occasion each.
In the girls’ category, Seethadevi College are leading the tally with a record of six championships while second in the tally is Pushapadana College with four championships. Musaeus College, Vijaya College Matale, St. Anthony’s Girls College Kandy and Janadhipathi BalikaVidyalaya Nawala have won the tournament once.
The tournament is played for the Cup, Plate and Bowl.
Nalanda won in the boys category last year while Musaeus College clinched the Cup Championship in the girls category.